Loom shuttle



Jan. 8, 1952 Filed Jan. 18, 1950 R. J. MESSIER LOOM SHUTTLE 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Jan. 8, 1952 R. J. MESSIER 2,581,494

' LOOM SHUTTLE Filed Jan. 18, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVEN TOR.

Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNI TED S TAT E'S PATE NT OFF I CE LOOM SHUTTLE Rudolph J. Messier, ProvidencaR. I.

Application January 18, 1950, Serial-No.139;225

ZUlaims. 1 This invention relates to loom sh-uttles of the automatic threading type designed primarily for use in automaticweft-replenishing looms. .It is more particularly concerned with shuttles of .the

character shown in United States Patent No. 2,220,812, granted November 5, 19%0, and it aims to overcome certain minor, but annoying, difficulties which have developed in the practical use of the shuttles disciosed in that patent.

The nature or" the invention will .be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the forward end portion of a loom shuttle"embodying'features of this invention;

Fig. 1a is a transverse, verticaLtsectional view through the forward end of the shuttle body showing the relation of the lateral flangeof the guiding plate and right hand wall of theithread- .ing groove;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the threadguiding mechanism of the shuttle structure :shown in Fig. 1;

3is a transverse, vertical, sectional view through the shuttle shown in Fig.1; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views :of the threading plate usedxin said shuttle, the former showing the plate right side up and the latter showing it. inverted.

Referring first to .1 .and2, the constructlon there shown comprises a shuttle body 2 provided with a chamber -3 adapted to receive a bobbin, such as that indicatedat B. Extending forwardly from the shuttle chamber is a thread ing groove and intersecting that groove is a laterally disposed thread-guidin slot cut through the side of the shuttle body and forming the usual tip or nose piece 6. The slot 5 leads .to a delivery eye 7 in which the usual pig-tail guide}! is mounted. Sofaras thefeatures above receive this plate snugly, and this plate is provided with a lateral flange a. which extends across the threading groove 4 where it overlies the tip of the nose piece B, with the edge of this flange extending diagonally across the groove 4 near the rearward end of the plate and again near its 5 forward .end, it being observed that the groove zextendsforward beyond 'the plate almost to the reinforced tip all of :the shuttle. This: forward end .portion 4' .of :the groove has a right-angle configuration, the right-hand 'wall 1b of it, as shown .in Figs. 1 and 2, being approximately horizontal and the left-hand wall 0 being .substantially vertical.

When the shuttle is in operation in the loom and the filling .in the running shuttle is about to run out, the automatic bobbin-changing mechanism ejects the spent bobbin from the running shuttle :and :forces a full bobbin into it when the latter is 'boxedxat the magazine end of the lay. Then, when theshuttle starts on its nexttiiight through'th'e shed, the yarnis'drawn .from the bobbin .8 through part ofthe thread groove 4 and slides down around the edge of the flange a into the threading groove. Upon the next flight of the shuttle in the opposite direction, the yarn follows'back :along :the horizontal. surface of the groove 4", under the tip of the "nose piece *6, through the curved guiding slot 55 and .into the delivery eye 8. Thereafter 'the .normalirunningposition of the threadis directly from the end of the bobbin B through the slot 4 to its intersection with the hole 1 where the thread makes a sharp right-angle turn and runs through the delivery eye 8. There.is,:how-

ever, a strong tendency at'timesifor'a loop created 'in some manner, due usually .to the ballooning "ofthe thread as it leaves the bobbin, to run out through thegrooveand cause the shuttle to become unthreaded. Such a loop :may travel in either direction, and for this purpose a guard l5 is formed integral with the threading plate 9 and on the lower sideof it, the opposite ends of this guard beingnotched so that it'will catch a loop travelling in either direction and. prevent the shuttle from. becoming unthreaded. This guard normally lies in the cut-out I6, Fig. '2, and it has proved to be a very satisfactoryaconstruction 'for preventing the looping-out above It is important that the threading plate shall be held securely in its operative position so that it cannot become loose, even under the severe punishment which a shuttle must be expected to survive, and one of the difiiculties encountered in using the shuttle shown in the earlier patent above referred to has been the fact that the posts integral with the threading plates frequently break off. Various expedients have been tried to overcome this difficulty, and an important object of this invention has been to discover this cause of failure and to find a remedy for it.

This object has been accomplished by omitting the post and substituting for it a machine screw 20, Figs. 2 and 3, introduced through a counterbored hole formed in the shuttle body where it can be threaded directly into the hole 2! in the plate 9. When tightened up it draws the plate 9 firmly into its recess l and also seats the lugs ll and IS in their sockets formed at the ends of the recess. Preferably a boss 19 is cast integral with the plate 9, the hole 2| is drilled through both the boss and the plate, and a socket 23, Fig. 2, is formed in the bottom of the recess lil to receive this boss. The boss desirably is tapered slightly and the socket may be correspondingly tapered. Also, a lock washer 20a should be used under the head of the screw 20.

This construction provides an anchorage which has proved entirely satisfactory. When a mill prefers to have the top of the plate 9 smooth and polished, the hole 2| can be stopped just below the top surface of the plate so as to avoid breaking that surface.

A further difficulty experienced in running fine fillings in the shuttle shown in the patent above referred to, hasbeen the fact that when some of these loop formations occur, and even at other times, the thread is caught between the front lug ii and the wall of the socket in which it fits and is promptly broken. A further object of this invention, therefore, has been to prevent occurrences of this kind. This difficulty I find can be avoided by making a change in the relationship of the front lug to the adjacent parts.

In the present construction the bottom of the socket H. is approximately on the same level with the horizontal wall or fioor of the groove 4, or it may be below it. However, the groove a guides the thread during the threadingup operation in a path approximately in, the vertex of the section i of the threading groove where the thread runs immediately beside the outer surface of the lug II. In this area, and that immediately behind it, the flange a closely overlies the groove 4 and the tip of the nose 6, the tension on the yarn normally holding it closely beside the vertical surface 0. However, at times during the threading-up operation the yarn or thread is guided at the front end of the plate 8 by the curved edge a, and in the prior constructions this edge has tended strongly to lead the yarn down to the bottom of the front 4 lug where, under some conditions at least, it is caught and held between that lug and the adjacent surface of the socket. In the present construction, as best shown in Fig. 1a, the thread guiding edge a guides the thread on to a part of the lug ll above its lower end and also above the surface I) of the thread groove in the shuttle. In any event, this construction has proved that it avoids the difficulty above described. Also, if the end of the lug I1 is set down below the surface of the shuttle on which the thread runs, there is still less opportunity for the yarn to be caught between the lug IT and the adjacent wall ofrthe socket in which it is positioned.

Thus the present invention overcomes both of the objections which have developed in the use of the shuttle referred to in the patent above mentioned. Therefore, it accomplishes a very desirable practical object for the reason that any breakage interrupts the production of the machine and therefore increases the cost of operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. A loom shuttle provided with a bobbin chamber and a threading groove extending forward from said chamber, a threading plate set into the shuttle top at one side of said groove and provided with a flange extending laterally across said groove into overlapping relationship With the portion of said shuttle at the opposite side of the groove so that the thread must pass over, around, and under said flange in moving into its running position during the threadingup operation, said flange having a thread guiding edge extending diagonally across said groove, said'pla'te being provided near its front and rear ends with lugs extending downwardly from the lower side thereof and the forward thread guiding edge of said plate extending across the path of travel of the thread during the threadingup operation and meeting said lug at a point above the lower end of the lug, said shuttle having a socket in which said front lug is positioned.

2. A loom shuttle according to preceding claim 1, in which said threading groove extends forward in the shuttle body to a point in front of said threading plate and is shaped to guide the thread in a path close beside the front lug of said threading plate, and said flange of the threading plate closely overlies said path of travel of the thread at the outer side of said lug.

RUDOLPH J. MESSIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,985,960 Stimpson Jan. 1, 1935 2,220,812 Daudelin et al Nov. 5, 19.40 2,314,669 Talbot Mar. 23, 1943 

